Board will honor Pasadena ISD's Distinguished Alumnus

Published 6:00 pm, Saturday, March 22, 2003

Cominsky, who is currently the executive director for the southwest division of the Anti-Defamation League, will be recognized during the board's regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the district's Administration Building.

By MARK KRAMER

I knew that this was a person who had a special quality of leadership that would make him successful later in life," said Robert Charles Pickering, a former classmate of Cominsky's. "He certainly has chosen to take his talents and use them to help the overall quality of life in his community."

In heading the southwest division of the ADL, Cominsky leads the organization in its efforts to combat all forms of discrimination. The organization is best known, however, for fighting anti-semitism and discrimination against those who are Jewish.

Cominsky does have a long history of community service. He is a former executive director for the Business Volunteers of the Arts of Houston (BVA) and former chief executive for the national Business Volunteers of the Arts program in New York. Cominsky is also a former president and founding member of the Serve Houston Youth Corps.

"Martin is a man who has dedicated his life to the betterment of his fellow man. He has done so without controversy and in the highest integrity," Pickering said.

As executive director of Houston's BVA from 1985-1988, he generated strong support for the local arts from the business community. According to Houston Chronicle archives, under Cominsky's leadership, the non-profit organization climbed from $500,000 in donations to more than $1 million in 1988. As director of the national BVA chapter, he furthered the development of programs in 23 cities.

Cominsky returned to Houston in 1993 to help form the Serve Houston Youth Corps. From 1993 to 2002 the organization had 700 individuals go through the program. In return for a full year of volunteer service, these individuals were awarded a $5,000 scholarship for college. The organization awarded approximately 3 1/2 million in total scholarships before the organization disbanded last year.

Pasadena ISD's Distinguished Alumnus award began in 1996 with the mission of recognizing an alumnus who has made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments and career have brought credit to the Pasadena school district.

The late Jonah Boyd was honored with the first Distinguished Alumnus award. He was a 1955 graduate of Pasadena High School and served as principal of L.F. Smith Elementary from 1971-1995. The following year, 1962 PHS graduate Larry Forehand received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Forehand is founder and vice-president of Casa Ole' Restaurants.

California lawyer Robert Smith, a 1971 PHS graduate, was the 1998 honoree; while Bill McMillin, a 1958 PHS graduate and owner of McMillin Insurance and Real Estate, was the 1999 honoree and Ben Meador, a 1957 PHS graduate and president and CEO of Meador Staffing Services, received the award in 2000. Bill Shock, a school volunteer and former employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., received the award in March 2001. The late Dr. Bill Allen, a pioneer in the field of nuclear medicine and 1951 PHS graduate, was honored posthumously in 2002. Allen's wife, Elizabeth, accepted the award in his memory.